Germany’s Foreign Minister Says Trump Has ‘Weakened’ The West

Germany has no love for President Donald Trump. The country’s foreign minister, as well as German Chancellor Angela Merkel, made scathing comments on Monday after Trump’s first trip abroad.

The foreign minister, Sigmar Gabriel, claimed that Trump’s actions have “weakened” the United States. He also accused the White House of standing “against the interests of the European Union.”

Gabriel stated:

“Anyone who accelerates climate change by weakening environmental protection, who sells more weapons in conflict zones and who does not want to politically resolve religious conflicts is putting peace in Europe at risk.”

For her part, Angela Merkel warned that Europe can’t depend on the United States or the UK after Brexit and the election of Donald Trump. CNN reports that Merkel added, “The times in which we could completely depend on others are on the way out. I’ve experienced that in the last few days.”

The German leaders’ comments come after some tough G7 debates over the weekend related to trade and climate change. The other six participating countries also weren’t thrilled with the United States. While at the summit, Trump refused to endorse NATO’s defense principle. He also refused to say if the United States will continue honoring the 2015 Paris climate agreement.

The refusal isn’t surprising. Trump denies that climate change exists and will likely refuse to follow the agreement. And while he managed to keep his tweeting thumbs at bay for the foreign trip, Trump still criticized NATO and claimed that the United States sells too many German-made cars.

Germany isn’t the only ally to distance itself from the Trump administration. USA Today reports that the leaders of France and Israel also criticized the president. France’s newly elected president, Emmanuel Macron, revealed that his white-knuckle handshake with President Trump was a sign that he “won’t make small concessions, even symbolic ones.”

But, like any other day of his presidency, Trump remains in his own world. Instead of listening to these comments, the president tweeted:

Just returned from Europe. Trip was a great success for America. Hard work but big results!